Improved refrigerator



T. M. DAVIS.-

- Refrigerator.

Patented Aug. 26, 1862.

Witnesses= V lnventon AM. PHOTO-LITHO.CO.N.Y. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. DAVIS, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. I

IMPROVED REFRIGERATOR.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 36,282, dated August 26, 18672. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs M. DAvIs, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the construction of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specifier tion, in which Figure l is a vertical section through the dotted line or of Fig. 2 of the body of the refrigerator, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section of the same through the line y of Fig.1, likeletters indicating the same parts when in both figures.

The sheet-metal linings 110w used for refrigerators are found to be objectionable for several reasons, the principal one of which is the difficulty of keeping the interior of the refrigerator perfectly clean and sweet. Glass, porcelain, and stone have all been tried; but however well either of these materials is adapted to obviate the chief objection to sheet metal as a lining, the fact that the plates cannot be made larger than about a foot square, and the consequent difficulty of keeping their joinings air-tight under the varying conditions produced by expansion and contraction in the wood upon which the plates have had to be attached in order to produce the necessary strength and rigidity required in the lining of a refrigerator, has caused their abandonment.

My invention has for its object in the use of such plates the removal of all the objections specified or the production of a refrigerator of any required dimensions that can be easily kept clean and sweet within, and that will not be liable to any separating or loosening of the joints in its lining or inner walls.

It consists in making the lining or inner walls of a refrigerator exclusively of plates of glazed clay or stone ware fitted and bolted together, with packing or cement between, as

hereinafter described and set forth, so that the said plates, so combined together, will form a strong independent or self-sustaining lining, requiring only that it be inclosed within the usual outer ease to perfect itsapplication as,

the lining or inner walls of a refrigerator.

In the drawings, A A indicate the lining or inner walls, B B the outer case, and G the usual air-space between them.

lhe bottom and sides, respectively, consist which constitute the back and the front lining,

have raised flangesgg, which produce agroove between them, into which the outer edges of the end series of plates a fit; and corresponding ears, 6 e, on their outer sides, in combination with nutted screw-bolts f, afford the means of securing the four sides of the lining A together, as shown in Fig. 2. The series ot'plates a',which constitute the bottom of the lining A,

also has a raised flange, 1), around its upper side, against which fit the lower inner side edges of the sides of the lining,tl1e. said bottom and sides being secured together by means of corresponding ears, 6 c and nutted screwboltsf, as seen in the drawings.

Between every two parts that are held together by the nutted bolts f a thin packingstrip of vulcanized gum, i, is first inserted, so

that when the parts have been tightly drawn toward each other by operating the nuts on the boltsf an air-tight joint thereat will be the result. An oil or water cement will answera similar purpose; but the elasticity, cleanliness, and durable nature of the gum renders it more suitable for the purpose.

' It will be seen that by the means described and set forth glazed platesof clay or stone wares-the most cleanly and desirable materials for lining refrigerators-can besecurely fitted together so as to produce a continuous lining for the purpose, thatwill be self-sustain ing or entirely independent of all backing to support it, and therefore free from the liability to separating at their joints, to which plates of these materials have heretofore been subject, and that the whole can be put together complete before being inserted within the usual outer case, Ban advantage of economical importance and affording facility in their manufacture.

Having thus fully described, my 'improve ment in refrigerators and pointed out its utility, What I claim as new therein of n'lyinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

A refrigerator having its inner walls or lining, A, made of glazed plates of clay or stone ware, constructed and secured together substantia'lly in the manner described and set forth, for the purposes specified.

THOMAS M, DAVIS. Witnesses BENJ. MORISON, J AS. MOPEAK. 

